Wandering through the lively streets of Chandni Chowk, or a night drive amidst Mumbai high risings, or coolness of royal jharokhas of Rajasthan or vibrant streets of Pondicherry, all of them, unique in their cultures, guess what, have one thing in common, the impact. The impact on us, the users. While Chandni chowk unveils a typical old Delhi market vibe, Mumbai high risings flaunt the glamourous chase the city entails. From the purples of royalty in Rajasthan to the yellows and blues of Pondicherry, each colour illustrates a different shade of feeling, a different underlying impact. Architecture impacts us all differently. It’s a perspective that marks its impression varying upon the perceiver. A perspective is full of distinctive thoughts and ideas.
Are all the Impacts the Same?
While a common influence of architecture is similar on all people, however, impacts differ on a personal level. An architect might look at a step beyond or at a bigger picture. It could be certain complex procedures or simply a design philosophy. Likewise, an architect will look for the processes involved along with the different aspects the particular structure holds accountable for. A commoner might simply enjoy it, just because it’s alluring. While it’s not entirely true, again as architecture is the perception that marks its impression, depending upon different styles of interpretation.
Within a building structure or a complex, the type, as well as the psychology of space, also influences the thoughts of a user, any user. For instance, the famous Taj Mahal, while some consider it to be the epitome of infinite and everlasting beauty, it might not surprise to know that some will consider it nothing but a mausoleum enclosing a dead body. It’s difficult to agree to a singular perspective in both of the intents. Therefore, space psychology and the type of space also affects the opinion of the user. Interestingly architecture here celebrates the individuality of its users.
What are these Impacts?
Impacts are built on experiences, and experiences, on feelings. The intensity lies in the perceiver’s thoughts. One might say that a successful building brings out that impact on the user. But does that make it compulsory at the very completion of the building? No, certainly not. It takes time, perhaps years to fully understand the impact of a certain architectural endeavour, but the beauty lies in knowing the thrill of the impact. What seems useless right now, might not be after, say 20 years. It’s no less than a surprise to watch how certain architectural marvels make us question our emotions sometimes.
Architecture is a multifaceted arena and so are its impacts – a mix of compound sentiments. Different spaces initiate an entirely different set of thoughts or feelings. Some might take it happily, to some it might be sad, could trigger certain memories, both wanted and unwanted. To some, it’s simply the joy of watching things happening, while others see it as a daily ritual or an everyday phenomenon. To some, it does a luxurious charm, while to some it’s just a pursuit of survival. The cities of Dubai and Paris paint beauty and extravagance, fascinating people into them, while, on the other hand, unadvanced regions or slums portray an entirely different picture. Therefore, economic capacity does hold a significant value in today’s architectural viewpoint of society.
The Larger Picture
Speaking of society, architecture also holds one of its greater impacts on the social regime of mankind. These impacts can be positive or negative, while social advancements are now soaring heights, there are the negatives too. Ben Wheatley’s film, High Rise, deliberately accentuates a distribution of the social strata emphasizing a social conundrum. But it’s not just constrained to the society, architectural infrastructure, its advancement and sustainability highly influence the national denomination on a global level. It brings out the broad-minded outlook of a nation’s prospects. Thus, highlighting the colossal architectural impacts.
Imagine a world full of digital codes and grey skies, or a world where you just teleport into a series of alternate scenarios, just like the movie Inception, creating unusual realities, you see, this is what architecture does to you, it transforms you, teleports you into an entirely different set of thoughts, or perhaps emotions in this context. This unknowingly leads us to the realization that the beauty of architecture lies in the distinctively unique impacts, it gifts to its users or rather perceivers. Also, it does reveal in its slight essence, the futuristic philosophies of architecture. Overtaken by skyscrapers with massive skylines, the future of architecture as perceived by many is quite alluring.
The Covid-ion Touch
Architecture is an evolutionary process. In today’s world, with technical expansions, it has emerged as quite an impactful industry. Remodeled by the sudden changing trends, such as the covid pandemic, architecture though, a bit affected, has not completely given up. Although, the current online system of architectural education might have slowed down the growth by a certain level, but the positives lie in the facts of generating new and forward-looking solutions and develop a temper to face new challenges with fresh perspectives.
On another note, at a more personal level, the pandemic brought out the significance of architecture, particularly in the medical industry for buildings such as hospitals, dispensaries and covid centers. It has impacted us all, in ways that require our attention to create spaces which can adjust to the changing scenarios. Work from home spaces has been one of its kind. The public and communal arenas, too, are essentially needing spaces to function as per the covid protocols.
Way Forward
Architecture is therefore, curating a larger picture, touching every segment of the human circle of life and creating a world to get inspired by, creating impact for a larger cause. Impacts are visionary, channeling our inner thoughts into perspectives, into our philosophies. Philosophies that impart on us, a sense of beauty and purpose, to live and to achieve. A zeal to move forward and shape our future, while at the same time, celebrating our history and its ongoing architectural spirit.
